Pictured: Miranda M., an eighth grade student at Sarasota Middle School. Photo by Wyatt Kostygan.

Our community is filled with many incredible young people doing such amazing things. This summer, we are featuring some of these young people in our Thursday Family & Education edition. Each of the students we are highlighting has been chosen as one of this year’s SRQ Magazine’s top youth leaders based on their values, determination and outstanding achievements in different aspects of their lives in and out of school.

Miranda is an eighth grade student at Sarasota Middle School who is involved in both basketball and track. She has been at Girls Inc. since kindergarten and is a 2019 recipient of Girls Inc.’s She Knows Where She is Growing award.

We asked Miranda what inspires her to be a leader.

"I think what inspires me to be a leader amongst my peers would be my desire to better myself by creating an environment where my peers and I can challenge each other to learn and grow," she said. "When I see my peers struggle in any way, be it intellectually, physically, or emotionally, I want to try my best to help them in any way I can, by helping them myself or pointing them in the right direction to help them help themselves."

Pictured: Miranda M., an eighth grade student at Sarasota Middle School. Photo by Wyatt Kostygan.